[dropcap]D[/dropcap]iversity is a beautiful thing. I wish fashion, and entertainment in general, was more inclusive, but the constant white praise makes diversity a rare thing. Victoria’s Secret has decided to be more diverse this year by having a record breaking 4 Asian girls (Lui Wen, Xi Mengyao, Sui He, and Ju Xiaowen) walk their runway for the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Of course that makes everyone happy because hello – finally some Asian representation! However, it’s not sincere at all. These models are being used as ploys for Victoria’s Secret new venture into the Asian market.
The first ever model of Asian descent walked the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway in 2009, which was a whole 14 years after their first fashion show in 1995. It took more than a decade for an Asian model to walk the VS runway.
Why the sudden increase in Asian models? Victoria Secret has a rapidly growing market in Asia. Victoria Secret expanded it’s region to Asia in 2015. Since then, they have seen great success there. The company has decided to open it’s first flagship store in Shanghai, China this year. This move could be a successful one for VS, considering the lingerie market is extremely profitable in China. The market has doubled in five years to $18 billion.
Martin Waters, president of L Brand (the parent company of Victoria’s Secret), shared that an estimated 350 million people in China will watch the upcoming Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
So you have to ask yourself, is the sudden interest in diversity strictly business or has Victoria’s Secret finally decided to be more diverse?
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